MOU for Singapore-Malaysia high speed rail to be signed by mid-2016: PM Najib

Jurong Country Club, where the Singapore terminus for the high-speed rail will be situated.

PHOTO: The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore for the development of a high-speed rail (HSR) linking both countries by the middle of 2016, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"We expect to sign MoU in the middle of this year with Singapore," Najib said of the proposed HSR link with Singapore.

In his keynote address at the 12th Invest Malaysia (IMKL2016) here on Tuesday, Najib said the development projects under the 11th Malaysia Plan would remain unaffected despite the Government having to revise its Budget and cut spending in response to the drop in crude oil prices.

He said the Government had structured the reduction in expenditure in such a way that it would not affect public service delivery.

"The HSR link to Singapore; the Pan Borneo Highway; the MRT and LRT; the Pengerang in Johor - they are all still going ahead... we need them," Najib said, noting these projects would be part of Malaysia's future.

"So it is clear that we have an economic plan, that it has worked, and that it is still working. It is a long-term plan that works for the benefit of Malaysians not just today, but tomorrow, and in the years and decades to come, " he explained.